Hunting is an important tradition, recreation, and livelihood in the lives of many. Of particular interest herein is bow hunting. Today's serious bow hunters carry sophisticated bows and precisely balanced arrows. For example, a commonly used bow is a compound bow, which has a complex mechanism of pulleys to achieve mechanical advantages, and a sophisticated sight. The sight is usually adjustable to compensate for environmental conditions, such as wind and humidity, as well as for variations in the bow itself, such as, for example, stretching of the cord as a result of being under constant stress, and stiffness variability in the bow as a result of continued use and temperature fluctuations.
The sight should be calibrated periodically to ensure accuracy. Periodic calibration is required because, over time and with use, the above-mentioned variations become significant to the point that the accuracy of the weapon is compromised. Additionally, often bows are knocked about as they are carried through rough terrain and used in rugged conditions. Such jarring can affect the components of the bow and the accuracy of the sights.
Calibrating the sight is generally a straightforward procedure. It involves standing a certain distance from a target, shooting an arrow at a particular point on the target according to the bow's sight, measuring the offset between the particular point on the target and the point at which the arrow actually hits the target, and adjusting the sight accordingly. Generally, such sight calibration is routine and readily performed using a stationary target having a thick, compliant backing to absorb the energy of arrow to avoid damaging the arrow. Being able to absorb the energy of the arrow without damaging the arrow is critical because arrows can be expensive and are not considered disposable.
Ordinarily, calibrating sights is not a problem because of the availability of stationary targets which are backed with a compliant material, such as foam rubber or straw, which absorb the energy of the arrow with little or no damage. However, such calibration can be far more difficult in the field where such stationary targets are not available. For example, often on hunting excursions, hunters will venture into remote areas for days and will have no access to such targets. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that, during these hunting excursions, the bows are subjected to rough handling and more frequent use which tends to increase the variables that diminish sight accuracy as described above. Faced with this problem, hunters are often forced to calibrate their sights by shooting arrows into fabricated backstops which often damage the arrows making them unusable.
Therefore, there is a need for a target system for bows which is portable and which does not damage the arrows. The present invention fulfills this need among others.